Railroad gate



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,F Patented Aug. 15, 1882.

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R. W. MAFFITT "8v J. BRANNAN.

RAILROAD GATE.

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RAILROAD GATE. No. 262,802. Patented Aug. 15, 1882.

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UNrTnD STATES RICHARD W. MAFFITT AND JOHN BRANNAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA.

RAILROAD-GATE.

sPncnrrcA'rIoN forming part of Letters Patent Application filed August 31, 1881.

,the following is a specification.

The nature of our invention consists in the combination of two series of levers with any number of parallel and contiguous railroadtracks, and with rock-shafts and connectingrods for giving the downward and upward movements to the gates or poles at a railroadcrossing. -Each series of levers is so located at such a distance from the crossing as to provide for the gates being lowered before thelocomotive reaches them and raised after the last car of a train has passed. The levers of each section are in two sets, so constructed and combined that one set of each section is raised while the other is lowered, whereby trains may pass each way over any of the tracks without deran gin g the gates or injuring the machinery, as hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, which make a part of this specication, Figure l is a plan view of our improvement in automatic railroad gates or poles. Fig. 2, Sheet No. 2, is a bottom view ofthe same. Fig. 3, Sheet No.3, is a side elevation, partly in section, at the broken line :r of Figs. l and 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the levers F detached irom a rock-shaft, E. Fig. 5 is a like view of a lever F in connection with a rock-shaft,E, and the arm b oi' the shaft. Fig. 6 is an edge view of the same. Fig. 7 is an isometrical view of one of the pedestals H.

Like letters of reference in allthe igures indicate the same parts.

A represents a portion of the road, having rails B B and B B of two parallel tracks, and gates C C at a crossing. The gates have their movements in vertical grooves of the posts D D, and are balanced by means of cords and weights over pulleys in the usual manner. The pairs of posts are provided with archbraces a a.

E is a rocking-shaft, having upright levers F F and a downwardly-projecting arm, b, and E a like shaft, having levers F F and an arm, b. The arms b and b are connected to- '.N'o. 262,802, dated August 15, 1882.

(No model.)

gether by means of the rod e. The rocking shafts are located at any suitable distance from the crossing for an automatic lowering of the gates before a locomotive, when running in the direction ot' the arrow j', reaches the crossing, or for the raising of the gates after the last car of'a train running in the opposite direction (indicated by the arrow f) has passed the crossing. For operating the gates on the approach of a train running in this direction there are levers F2 F2 and F3 F3, connected with the rock-shafts E2 and E3, having arms b2 and b3, which are connected together by means of the rod e. These rock-shafts and levers are located a like distance from the'crossing to that of the section above described, and for the same purpose.

-E4 is an intermediate rock-shaft, having an arm, b4, which is connected with the arm b5 of the rock-shaft E by means of the rod e2, and it has an arm, 116, which is connected with the arm bT of the rock-shaft E2 by means of the rod e3. This rock-shaft E4 hasarms bs b at its ends, which are connected with the lower ends of the connecting-rods e4 e4, the upper ends of which are jointed to the levers Gr G, which are hung on fulcrum-pins g g, held by the gate-posts D D and brackets h h. The free ends of the levers have slots it', which connect with pins j j, held by the slotted brackets 7c on the gates C C.

The rocking shafts E to E4, inclusive, have their bearings in pedestals H, one ot' which is represented in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

The levers F to F3, inclusive, have slots in their lower ends, as seen in Fig. 4t, to connect with the arms l of the rock-shafts E to E3,inelusive, the levers being allowed to turn freely on the shafts to admit of being pressed upon the arms by the springs m, as represented, in their upright position, that they may have a yielding resistance, so that if two locomotives them has lowered the gates C C the other one in approaching them will turn the levers down out of the way without injuring them, and when the stop of the locomotive has passed over them the springs will force them back to their upright position in which they had been previously set.

The operation is as follows: As a train is running on either track in the direction ofthe are running in opposite directions and one of arrow f toward the crossing having gates G G a stop projecting downward from the locomotive in striking one of the levers F' bears it downward into the reversed position which the lever F assumes in the drawings, and by means ot' the connection of the rock-shaft E with the rock-shafts E, E2, and E3, as above described, the levers FZ are also borne downward, and the levers F and F3 are raised, and by means of the connection of the rock-shaft E (with which the levers F are connected) with the rock-shaft E4 its arms 118 are turned upward, giving an upward movement to the upright rods e, whereby the gates C C are lowered to close the crossing until the locomotive reaches the levers F3 of the other series, which is so far distant (in practice) from the crossing that the last car of the train has passed it when the stop of the locomotive comes against the levers F3, then in their elevated position, and bears them down into the position they assume in the drawings, whereby the gates are raised to their elevated position out of the way. A like operation is produced when a train is running on either track in the direction indicated by the arrow f', whereby the gates are brought to their lower position as the train approaches them and to their elevated position (seen in the drawings) when it has passed them.

When desired poles may be used instead of the gates, the poles being hung on the fulcrum-pins g g, which are used in the present instance for hanging the levers G Gr.

For the purpose of giving an alarm on the approach of a train there are bell-crank levers hung on i'ulcrum-pins n fn, which project from rails B B ot each track. To the lower end of each lever a wire, 0,is connected, (one of which is shown in Fig. 3,) which passes around a pulley, 11, and extends to a gong located at any convenient place, so that by the passage of the wheels of a locomotive or of the cars the levers, by being borne down, pull the wires, and thereby give movement to the hammers of the gongs and strike the alarms. After the wheels pass over thelevers I springs q return them to their normal position.

We claim as our invention- 1. The combination of the rocking shaft E4, having arms 118 118, rods e4 e4, levers G Gr, and gates C C, and mechanism, substantially as described, for operating the same, all `as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the rocking shafts E and E', having arms 11 and 11', connected together by means of the rod e, with the rocking shaft E", having arms 118 118, provided with upright rods e4 e4, respectively, the shafts E and E4 having arms 115 and 114, respectively connected together by means of the rod e2 for lowering and raising the gates C G by means of the levers G G or other suitable device, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the rocking shafts E2, E3, and E4, having arms 112, 113, 117, and 11, respectvely connected by means ot' the rods c and e3, whereby to impart simultaneous movements between the rocking shafts E, E', E2, and E3 to lower the levers F and F2 and raise the levers F and F3 simultaneously, and, vice versa, to provide for trains running in reverse directions over the tracks at the same time, substantially as above described.

4.. In combination with the rock-shafts E, E', E2, and E3, each having a stationary arm, l, the slotted levers F, F', F2, and F3, tting loosely on the rock-shafts, respectively, and the springs m, constructed and arranged as described, whereby the springs press the levers upon the arms when in their normal position to operate the rock-shafts when a train is running in acertain direction, and yield to the action of a locomotive to admit of their being turned down out of the way when two trains are running toward each other, and one of them has lowered the gates or poles, substantially as described.

RICHARD W. MAFFITT. JOHN BRANNAN.

Witnesses:

THOMAS J. BEWLEY, STEPHEN Us'rIoK. 

